Hourly News 每日新闻 2014-01-06

 South Sudan warring factions¹ start talks

South Sudan's government and rebel forces have started direct peace talks for the first time since deadly fighting broke out in the country last month.

The talks have been held in Ethiopia between representatives of President Salva Kiir and former vice² president Riek Machar.

The rebels are demanding the government release 11 senior politicians.

The government has rejected the proposal, saying the detainees can only be released in accordance with the laws. 

As part of the international mediation³ efforts, the government of Sudan has announced that its president Omar al-Bashir is to visit South Sudan.

Zhong Jianhua, Special Representative of the Chinese government for African affairs, has also held talks with Sudanese officials in connection with the violence in South Sudan.

Meanwhile, government troops say they are preparing to retake Bor, the capital of the state of Jonglei.

At least a thousand people have been killed and some 200-thousand displaced.

 

Xue Long opens 1-km runway

Chinese icebreaker Xuelong has created a kilometer-long runway in preparation for breaking through the ice.

The icebreaker has been trapped by heavy floes in Antarctica since Friday after rescuing all 52 passengers on a Russian vessel⁴ which has been stranded⁵ since the Christmas Eve.

A cyclone⁶ is expected to roll through the area today or tomorrow which may change the wind direction, which may help the vessel break thought the ice.

A U.S. icebreaker is on its way from Sydney to assist the Chinese and Russian vessels⁷.

It is expected it will take about 7 days for the US ice-breaker to reach the Xuelong.

 

Bangladesh polling stations close due to violence

Bangladesh's main opposition⁸ has called a nationwide 48-hour strike starting today.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is demanding a cancellation⁹ of the results of this weekend's election. 

This comes hours after series of bomb blasts which left 18 people dead.

Attackers also torched at least 127 schools that were to be used as polling stations. 

The opposition left 153 of of the 300 seats in Parliament uncontested.

The ruling Awami League candidates are running unchallenged in more than half of the country's constituencies.

Results of the election are expected later on this morning.

 

Talks with Israel and Palestine positive: John Kerry

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says progress has been made in his talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Kerry made the comments after meeting up with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his tenth visit to the region in the past 12 months.

The U.S. Secretary of State also says any peace plan he will submit for consideration will be fair and balanced.

The U.S.-brokered peace talks between the Palestinian and Israeli officials re-started last year after a three-year deadlock¹⁰.

An initial deadline to reach a deal has been set for April.

 

Chinese frigate¹¹ on Syrian chemicals removal mission arrives in Cyprus

A Chinese navy frigate has arrived in the Cypriot port of Limassol at the start of its mission to provide security support to the operation for removing Syria's chemical weapons.

The Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus says Yancheng's arrival in Cyprus for the escort mission of removing Syrian chemical weapons showed the Chinese government's support to the effort of the United Nations and Organization for the Prohibition¹² of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). 

Vessels from China, Russia, Denmark and Norway will escort the transportation of the chemical weapons.

 

Suspect captured for arson¹³ attack on Chinese consulate¹⁴ in SF

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the arson attack on the Chinese consulate general in San Francisco last week.

The U.S. National Security Agency says they apprehended¹⁵ the suspect on Friday.

More details are due to be released later today.

The attack took place Wednesday night.

A person poured gasoline onto the front door of the consulate then lit it on fire.

No one was hurt.

 

US expects coldest weather in 2 decades

Temperatures in parts of the U.S. are forecast to drop to their lowest in two deacades.

Forecasters are warning an arctic front is bringing snow and cold temperatures.

Meteorologists are warning temperatures in certian parts of the US will reach minus-50 with the wind chill. 

Good portions of the north and east of the United States are being engulfed¹⁶ in snowy and frigid¹⁷ temperatures.

The city of Chicago is being pounded with massive amounts of snow, forcing the cancellation of some 12-hundred flights.

In New York, heavy snowfall has also forced the suspension of flights at the John F. Kennedy Airport.

 

China reports new human H7N9 cases

A new human case of the H7N9 bird flu has been recorded, this time in Zhejiang.

The patient is a 34-year-old woman who is listed in critical condition.

The detection of the new case comes on the heels of a confirmed case in Shanghai on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in Guangdong, the bird flu virus has been found in a live poultry¹⁸ market this weekend.

The market in Zhuhai has been shut down.

 

China's Forbidden City implements¹⁹ Monday closure

The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, in central Beijing will be closed to the public every Monday for renovation²⁰ and maintenance starting on Jan. 6.

On public holidays and Mondays during July and August, the museum will be open.

1 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

4 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

5 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

6 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

7 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

10 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

11 frigate   

n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰

参考例句：

• An enemy frigate bore down on the sloop.一艘敌驱逐舰向这只护航舰逼过来。
• I declare we could fight frigate.我敢说我们简直可以和一艘战舰交战。

12 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

13 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

14 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

15 apprehended   

逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解

参考例句：

• She apprehended the complicated law very quickly. 她很快理解了复杂的法律。
• The police apprehended the criminal. 警察逮捕了罪犯。

16 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

18 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

19 implements   

n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• Primitive man hunted wild animals with crude stone implements. 原始社会的人用粗糙的石器猎取野兽。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They ordered quantities of farm implements. 他们订购了大量农具。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。